MODERNISM IS
THE NEW MÉTIER OF THE PARIS COUTURE

The masters of
Couture approached their Autumn/Winter 2006-2007 collections with a sense of
modern style that firmly connects Couture's luxury and craftsmanship with
the 21st century.

As a result,
Couture has never been more relevant, imbued with a fresh vitality for the
ever-younger coterie of celebrity customers who attend the shows.

The
presence of young stars in the front row generates more than just publicity
for the designers; the styles worn by celebrities are now a major factor in
influencing the public's sartorial choices. The repercussions of Mischa
Barton attending Galliano are hard to track, but her field of influence over
the direction of fashion is indisputable.

Christian LacroixAutumn/Winter
2006-2007, Couturiers have redefined the major story of the ready-to-wear
shape by further simplifying it, giving it a more youthful silhouette, and
using imaginative craftsmanship and luxurious materials.

And for observers of fur fashion trends,
the autumn 2006 range was all about simplicity of shape and clever
juxtaposition with contrasting fabrics, textures and metallics.

Modernism's
simplified presence on the Couture catwalks was evident in Christian
Lacroix's remarkable collection, which the designer described as
"quintessential couture" and "freedom without extravagance".

Lacroix
imparted bell-shaped perfect fit to a burgundy velvet coat with a
sable
fur collar and fox trim, as well as to a richly embellished grey-and-black
velvet mini coat with full sleeves of finn raccoon.

Taking
modernism to the extreme, designers mixed fur and fabric in sculptural
silhouettes with subtle details.

At Givenchy, Ricardo Tisci's autumn 2006 range included an almost egg-shaped fox coat with metallic insets, and an
extraordinary round-shouldered collarless coat that combined sheared and
longhair mink fur in horizontal bands.

In its second couture collection, Armani Privé used sculpted sheared-and-grooved mink in a cutaway maxi coat, which
masterfully accented the luxurious, clean lines of the collection.

Attention to
precise cutting was a key Couture trend, modern medieval, seen at both Jean
Paul Gaultier and Chanel.

At Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld melded the medieval and the
modern in a short-skirted suit, embellished with pearl beading and trimmed
with sable fur, balanced by edgy denim thigh-high boots.
All thumbnails
above enlarge.

GaultierGaultier's full-skirted and bell-sleeved silver
fox maxi coat, cinched in the back with a leather corselet, was an exercise
in both craft and cut.

In his autumn 2006 range, Gaultier went to great
lengths for a modern-day Maid Marian, creating a long,
shoulder-less, russet
velvet dress, flung with wraparound red fox fur.

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